PITTSBURGH—Pennsylvania voters have decided to retain three of their state Supreme Court justices for another decade, after an unusually contentious judicial election season.

Justices Christine Donohue, Kevin Dougherty, and David Wecht—three of the five Democrats on Pennsylvania’s seven-member Supreme Court—faced regular judicial retention elections on Nov. 4.

Rather than pitting the three justices against specific competitors, Pennsylvania’s retention election system asks voters to simply vote “yes” to keep their existing justices or “no” to vacate a seat on the court. A vote to retain a justice allows him or her to remain on the court for another 10 years, while a vote against retention creates a vacancy to be filled.

Voters ultimately decided to approve Donohue, Dougherty, and Wecht.

The Associated Press called the races at 9:53 p.m. ET for Donohue at 61 percent, Dougherty at 60 percent, and Wecht at 60 percent.

Judicial Race Draws National Attention

Since adopting the judicial retention system in 1968, Pennsylvania voters have voted only once not to retain a jurist. Supreme Court Justice Russell Nigro lost his retention vote in 2005 after serving a full 10-year term.

There was little to no public opinion polling covering this set of judicial retention elections, but the race garnered national attention and attracted unusually high ad spending.

According to the latest assessment by the Brennan Center for Justice, various groups have spent some $9.5 million on political advertising around the Pennsylvania Supreme Court retention question. Dougherty, Wecht, and two pro-retention advocacy groups spent approximately $8 million on advertising related to the race, the Brennan Center reported. Citizens for Term Limits, a group opposed to retaining the three justices, spent about $1.4 million on advertising.

President Donald Trump weighed in on the race over the weekend, joining Pennsylvania’s state Republican Party in urging voters to vote “no” on the question of retaining the three justices.

“On November 4th, you can bring back the Rule of Law, and stand up for the Constitution,” Trump wrote in a Nov. 2 post on Truth Social. “There are three Radical Democrat Supreme Court Justices on the Ballot for a 10 year retention. Vote ‘NO, NO, NO’ on Liberal Justices Donohue, Dougherty, and Wecht.”

Democrats from outside of Pennsylvania also weighed in on the state’s Supreme Court retention election.

“If you live in the Keystone State, or know someone who does, vote YES to retain three justices who will protect your fundamental rights and freedoms,” former President Barack Obama said in an Oct. 29 X post. “It’s never been more important to support men and women who respect the Constitution and the rule of law.”

Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) wrote in a Nov. 3 X post: “My people in Pennsylvania—your rights are on the line this Tuesday in the state Supreme Court elections. We can’t let Trump and his buddies control the courts. Vote for the judges Donohue, Dougherty, and Wecht.”

Speaking with The Epoch Times outside a polling location in the Pittsburgh suburb of Green Tree, Andy Grab said he disliked the apparent politicization of the race.

“The politicization of judges, I think, is a big issue,” he said.

Grab is running for a seat on the Green Tree Borough Council. A self-identified Republican, he cast his lot with the Green Tree Unity campaign, which seeks to elect a slate of four Republicans and four Democrats to various positions in the community.

He said he felt the Pennsylvania Supreme Court had been “heavy-handed” in their approach to decisions at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic but had otherwise been “pretty good” about transcending partisan politics.

Driving Voters

As Pennsylvania voters went to the polls to decide whether to keep their three Supreme Court justices, they shared their concerns about the court’s impact on a wide range of issues.

Standing outside a polling location in Green Tree, local Democratic Party volunteer Diane Doyle-Coombs told The Epoch Times that one of her top concerns is women’s rights.

“It’s all about women’s rights. I’m really fearful that that’s going to change. That’s why I’m encouraging people to vote ‘Yes,’” she said.

Another Green Tree area voter, who asked to be identified by only her first name, Jamie, said she voted not to retain any of the three justices, and she identified herself as being “definitely pro-life, and pro-legal immigration.”

Another voter, who asked to be identified by only his first name, Cal, said he voted for Republican candidates and causes down-ballot.

“It’s not so much the Supreme Court. It’s the party at this point,” he said. “I was originally kind of left-of-center most of my life. And then, the past couple of elections, I’ve really swung to be anti whatever that side is.”